What's New?

We hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and are enjoying preparations for the Christmas Season. Your generous support of the children has been a blessing in 2018 and has enabled us to do God's work with the children. Please find an attached Christmas card and a detailed report of our activities from Mother Inés.

This past Tuesday, July 17, 2018, we had the joy of attending Elmer de León Ramírez's graduation from the Escuela Taller Municipal, the Municipality Technical School, which we host on the zone 1 campus. Elmer is now certified in gardening, which means commercial gardening and landscaping. BIG is God for watching over him and we thank all of our Friends who have sponsored Elmer! He continues with other studies and hopes to also obtain a college degree. "Oh the places you will go!" We have added a photo album that contains a video. Enjoy!

Thank God, we are safe. Yesterday, Volcán de Fuego, Volcano of Fire, erupted about 40 kilometers, 25 miles west of us. The Guatemalan Meteorologists have categorized it as the strongest eruption in 44 years. Some rock and a dusting of ash landed in Guatemala City in zone 1 at the Rafael Ayau Residence. The Monastery and San Miguel Residence by Lake Amatitlán was not affected. Winds are pushing the ash cloud north/northwest --> away from us. See the map below.

We continue to pray for the people whose towns are buried and/or in the path of the lava flow. There are people who are searching for their entire family. FireRescue, the Police, and the Army are still rescuing people. Early this morning, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales declared a state of emergency. In the national news, as of this morning, there are 25 fatalities. Memory eternal! Also, unfortunately there are reports that some areas are still inaccessible because of the lava flow. Lord have mercy!

This map indicates the Fall of Ash, and the location of the Monastery and San Miguel is marked with a red Cross in the lower right.

With great sadness and hope in the Resurrection, we learned today of the repose of Mariu de Tefel, President of the Tefel Foundation. Throughout the years, she was a good friend to all of us, especially to our children whom she loved as her own. (since 1996!)Her joy and generosity will not be forgotten. We love her and miss her already. May her memory be eternal! Join us in remembering her family in our prayers.

We want to make public the result obtained in regard to the AMPARO that was imposed to prevent us from being evicted from the building known as Hogar Rafael Ayau, which was given to us by usufruct in 1996 for 50 years, to do work of mercy. The situation was resolved in our favor, for which we are very grateful. This allows us to continue with the work for children, that until now we have been doing. We thank God for His protection and fidelity. We thank Mr. Hugo Marroquin who was in charge of the legal matters before the competent authorities until obtaining the present result. We also thank all those people, and private and public institutions, who in one way or another were attentive and collaborative during the course of this process. We hope that this acknowledgment reaches the 7.1 million people who supported this cause for children. We thank the social media who gave us the opportunities to be able to claim JUSTICE, for having provided us with disinterested coverage so that our voice could reach the people who gave us their support along this path. We thank the magistrates of the Constitutional Court, who in issuing their decision and granting us the protection, and therefore the protection of Human Rights, gave clear evidence, that in Guatemala, the light of justice can shine. And, we thank God again, our Lord, for his kindness, protection and fidelity. On behalf of the children and adolescents that make up our home, on my behalf Mother Inés Ayau Garcia and the nuns with me, and Mr. Hugo Marroquín, we thank you in a simple way from the depths of our hearts. THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND GOD BLESS YOU.

We thank God for our new ecclesiastical authority after the death of our beloved Metropolitan Antonio Chedraoui.

We are now under the omophorion of Metropolitan Archbishop Amfilohije Radović of the Serbian Patriarchate. His Eminence, the Right Reverend Amfilohije is the Serbian Metropolitan of Montenegro with jurisdictions in South and Central America. It is a great joy and blessing!

Second:

We continue working for the needy children and youth in “Hogar Rafael Ayau," and we returned back to its original name of “House of Mercy” given by Don Rafael Ayau in 1856. For more information on the many activities and works of mercy taking place here, visit the website: www.casadeculturaymisericordiarafaleayau.orgWe also continue with the children that have grown with us and now are all teenagers, plus the ones who are in college.

Third:We announce that our Metropolitan will be visiting us from December 4-8, 2017.

We have sent out invitations in Guatemala. (click on the link for a clear copy)

Translation of the Invitation

The Metropolitan
Archbishop, the Right Reverend Amfilohije Radović,

Administrator of the
Diocese of Buenos Aires, South and Central America, of the Serbian Orthodox
Catholic Church will come for a pastoral visit to our Orthodox Monastery of the
Holy Trinity.

His Eminence will be visiting
the facilities of the "House of Mercy" on Wednesday, December
6, 2017 starting at 10:00 am. We will start with the "Tefel Party"
in the garden. Then we will make the tour of the facilities. We hope to count
on your presence and your presentation of the activities that are being implemented.

Igumeni Madre Inés
Ayau with the Nuns communicate our joy of receiving our Archbishop and we hope
you can join us in this visit.

Friends, we thank you all for your unconditional support and affection, and continue to count on your prayers and material help in kind or in money. We ask God to abundantly bless each one of you and your families.

***In late September, we had a good bye party and then a "curbside moment" when we sent Miguel to Russia where he has already begun his classes at the University of Gzhel. We are all very grateful for his benefactors: assistance with his student visa from the Russian Embassy in Guatemala, a scholarship at the University, and sponsorship from a longtime Friend. When he arrived in Moscow, he reunited with his sister, Guadalupe, who has been studying there for 2 years already.

***Our audit by Sobel and Co, LLC was finalized. We have published it on the About Us page.